International   

NRI in race for top Commonwealth post

Hasan Suroor

London: A prominent British non-resident Indian, said to be close to Prime Minister Tony Blair, has thrown his hat in the race to succeed Don McKinnon as the next Secretary-General of the Commonwealth later this year and launched an ambitious a campaign to lobby SAARC nations, especially India.

In a field crowded with high-profile political leaders and diplomats, Dr. Mohan Kaul, Director-General of the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), is perhaps the only non-political hopeful. And this is what, he says, makes his candidature "different''.

Indeed, his campaign slogan is "zara hat ke candidate'' (a candidate with the difference), as he believes that for too long Commonwealth has been "politically driven''.

"It's perhaps time to make the Commonwealth an economic force instead of keeping it as a political talk shop," the Srinagar-born economist told The Hindu .

Dr. Kaul said that he was relying heavily on India's support and had already spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Stating that an endorsement from his native country would be crucial, he said: "I would very much love to get an endorsement from my country of origin. I have approached the Prime Minister saying that India should support me because of my experience in Commonwealth and of working in developing and developed countries.''

He said he had been in touch with all the member-countries and had received "encouraging response.'' Several countries, which he did not want to name publicly, had already assured him of their support, he claimed. "I expect support from a large number of countries, having been in the Commonwealth for 20 years and working at the international level for 30 years."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Massive search operation in Colombo
Bomb attack near Karbala shrine
Non-Communist in China's Cabinet
Moscow threatens action after Estonia removes war memorial
NRI in race for top Commonwealth post
Benazir vows to return home by year-end
Singapore, Indonesia sign defence pact
Pakistan move to ban satirical play draws flak
Cheating in the time of the iPod
For new tools to nail liars
Gunmen attack mosque
King loyalist floats new party in Nepal

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu